Weft-end clearing and bobbin stripping mechanism for filling replenishing looms



Oct. 13, 1936. c K|MB|RL 2,057,619

WEFT END CLEARING AND BOBBIN STRIPPING MECHANISM FOR FILLING REPLENISHING LOOMS 7 Filed May 16, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

v(Q QHJ K. W,

A TTORNEY.

WEFT END CLEARING AND BOBBIN STRIPPING MECHANISM FOR FILLING REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed May 16, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Oct. 13, 1936. Q K|M5|RL 2,057,619

WEFT END CLEARING AND BOBBIN STRIPPING MECHANISM FOR FILLING REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed May 16, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct 13, 193 i 2,057,619

WEFT-END CLEARING AND BOBBIN STRIP- PING MECHANISM FOR FILLING REPLEN- ISHING LOOMS Avery C. Kimbirl, Charlotte, N. 0., assignor to The Terrell Machine Company, Charlotte, N. 0., a corporation of North Carolina Application May 16, 1931, Serial N... 537,830

19 Claims. ((11.139-262) The invention has relation to mechanisms of will rest with its tip pointing toward the rotatthe class designed for the removal of waste resiing winding-off member. Other objects of the dues of filling yams remaining upon bobbins invention have to do with improved operation which, by the operation of the filling replenishof the device in general, and will be made plain ing instrumentalities of automatic filling replenand their means of accomplishment indicated in 5 ishing looms, have been expelled from the workthe following specification and in the accoming shuttles of such looms prior to complete expanying drawings. haustion of the supplies of filling carried by An illustrative embodiment of the invention is such bobbins. It also has relation to devices shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

adapted to clear the old, trailing weft-end out Fig. 1 is a front elevation of certain of the 10 of the shuttle-eye, so as to prevent it from beparts at the filling replenishing end of an autoing drawn back or otherwise carried into the matic loom, with the invention applied thereto.

UNITED-STATES PATENT OFFICE shed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

The general object of the invention is to pro- Figs. 3 and 4 are side and end views, respecvide a practical and efficient mechanism for tively, of the winder of the invention. 5

dealing with the old weft-end during and after Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are rear, side, and plan views,

its discharge from the lay, both to clear away respectively, of the bobbin-receiver.

this weftend and also to remove it from its The drawings show only so much of the frame bobbin, automatically and without interruption and mechanism of a loom as is useful to indito the working of the loom. cate the application of the invention. A portion Primarily, my invention consists in a comof one side-frame of the loom is represented at I,

bined clearer and bobbin-stripper mechanism a portion of the breast-beam being represented in which a receiver located in a loom in position" at 2, and a-portion of the lay being shown at 3.

to receive a bobbin expelled from the working At 4 is the slot in the bottom of the shuttle-box 5 shuttle of the loom, and a winder adapted to at .the magazine-side of the loom, providing for 25 engage with a trailing filling-end extending from the passage downward of a bobbin expelled from a bobbin occupying the said receiver to the worka working shuttle 6 occupying the said shuttleing shuttle from which it has just been expelled, box; and at I is the apron carried by the lay and are so related to each other that the trailing end by means of which such bobbin is guided forward is caught and drawn out of the shuttle and away into the receiver therefor. In prior practice the from the shed, and thereafter the filling is drawn said receiver is an ordinary catcher-box, into oil from the bobbin lengthwise of the latter withwhich the bobbin falls from the lay. In the presout rotation of the bobbin around its longitudient instance, the loom is provided witharecelver 8 nal axis. Obstacles to efficient performance have having certain features which will be described.

arisen in practice through failure of the trail- Inasmuch as the change of bobbins that is effected ing filling-end to become engaged by the rotatthrough the replenishing operations takes place ing winding-ofi member, and also through the when the lay is at front center, the receiver 8 erratic actions of a bobbin rolled or spun on its is located in position corresponding with the poaxis as a result of unwinding its filling tangensition of the lay and its apron I at front center.

tially. It is held in place by supporting brackets 9, 9, 40

The main objects of the present invention are attached to end-frame I. It has an opening in to provide for supporting the ejected bobbin so its top, for the admission of a bobbin that is exthat its filling may be drawn on from its tip pelled from the working shuttle when such change without causing rotation ofthe bobbin about its takes place. A rotary waste-filling winder is axis, and also to provide improved means for inshown at IU, mounted upon the end-frame l a 45 suring the engagement of the trailing filling-end little to the rear of the path taken by an expelled by the rotating member in a bobbin-cleaning atbobbin in descending from the working shuttle tachment of this aforesaid type. These aims on the lay into the receiver 8. It is shown as are attained in the present novel and improved comprising a winding-barrel mounted upon a bobbin-stripping attachment through the provispindle ll working in a bearing l2 applied to the 50 sion of means to force the trailing filling-end loom end-frame I in such manner that one porinto contact with the rotating winding-off mem tion of the spindle projects outward from the her, to insure its engagement thereby, and end-frame, such portion carrying the windingthrough the provision of a chute into which the barrel, while another portion of the spindle proexpelled bobbin will descend and in which it iects inwardly from the end-frame and has fixed 55 thereon a band-pulley l3 around which passes a driving-band |4 that passes also around a bandpulley IS on one of the loom-shafts IQ, for instance the bottom or cam-shaft; thus the winding barrel is rotated during the working of the loom, preferably in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, so that its uppermost surface is travelling rearward of the loom.

This member ID is contrived in any suitable or' preferred manner capable of engaging and winding onto itself the trailing end of filling extending off from the expelled bobbin and forming the leading end of the wound mass to be removed from such bobbin. The winder I0 is retained on the spindle by a collar 30 applied to the protruding end of the spindle and secured in place by a clamping screw, and is caused to turn in unison with said spindle by a transverse pin 3| fixed in the spindle, and occupying notches H in the butt of the member I0. This member ||I may be surfaced in any manner desired to increase its tendency to pick up and wrap around itself the end of filling trailing upward from the expelled bobbin; herein, it has a pair of strips 32 of felt running throughout its length, and applied to its surface at diametrically opposite points. In between these strips of felt is applied a pair of wooden strips 33, to cooperate with the felt strips in lifting the windings accumulating upon the member l0 away from the latters surface and to facilitate their removal from time to time, as by cutting. If desired, the member ID may be given a general taper toward its outward end for the same purpose of aiding removal of waste.

To insure certain and immediate engagement of the trailing end of filling by the winding-off member 24 as the expelled bobbin descends into the receiver 8, and passes in front of the winder I0, novel'means are provided comprising a member 4| arranged to lay the trailing end partway around the circumference of the winding-off member ID. This member is contrived to be moved into spaced relation with the winding-off member l0 as the bobbin is expelled, so that said bobbin will descend over the winding-off member, between the latter and the member 4|, which latter thereafter is moved into close proximity with the surface of the winding-off member at a point well away from the bobbin as the latter stands at rest in the receiver 8, so that the trailing end is bent around a third or more of the winding-off member's circumference and is laid thereonto in the direction of travel of the surface of the winder, facilitating engagement of the weft-end by such surface. Herein, the end-controlling member 4| is supported parallel to the axis of the member l0 upon an arm 42 upon a rockshaft 43 supported in bearings 44 at the front of the receiver 8. This rockshaft 43 receives a counter-clockwise movement to raise the member 4| simultaneously with the counter-clockwise rocking of the controller-rockshaft 34 which sets in action the transferrer mechanism which expels the old bobbin, through connections comprising an arm 45 fixed upon the shaft 43, a pushrod 41 pivotally combined with an arm 45, fixed on a transverse rockshaft 2|, supported in bearings 22 on the receiver 8 and the loom-side respectively. This push-rod 4'! slides freely through a swivel 48 on the end of the upper arm 48, and is equipped with an adjustably fixed collar 49 for engagement with the swivel to cause lifting of the member 41 when the controller-rockshaft 34 is rocked in counter-clockwise direction. Movement of rockshaft 2| is imparted from the controller-rockshaft through the long arm 35, clamped thereto, by means of the link 38 having one end pivoted to arm 35 and its other end passing through a swivel 39 in the end of an arm 36 fixed on shaft 2|, a spring 31 being included to transmit the motion yieldingly in the direction which allows the member 4| to descend over the winder III, for purposes explained later. Upon the return or clockwise rocking movement of the controller-rockshaft 34, the member 4| gravitates down into proximity to the surface of the winding-off member I0, carrying the trailing end of filling beforeit into contact with said surface while at the same time it is left free to rise away from the surface of said member Hi to accommodate the accumulation of winding thereon.

By this means, the old trailing weft-end is bent over and part-way around the winder I0 before the shuttle is again picked, and as a result such end is either withdrawn completely from the shuttle-eye as a result of thus lengthening its path of extent and engaging it with the surface of the rotating winder ID, or is held sufiiciently securely to prevent its being carried into the shed upon the next pick, and thereafter is wound about the winder I0 and thus disposed of for the time being.

In accordance with the invention as noted hereinbefore, in place of the usual catcher-box there is attached to the loom end-frame the receiver 8 into which the expelled bobbins after passing over the winder I0 descend in such manner as to be supported with their tips pointing upward and rearward. This receiver 3 is of hopper-shape, having a transverse width at its top considerably greater than the length of a bobbin, and an extent of opening in a direction fore-and-aft the loom ample enough to insure the entry of the ejected bobbin therein. Further to direct the descending bobbin, the sides are raised to points as indicated at I8, and an overhanging portion I9 applied to the forward sloping edges of such raised sides I 8, Hi.

The receiver 8 tapers inwardly in both foreand-aft and transverse directions toward its bottom, to form a relatively narrow chute into which the descending bobbins can only enter substantially endwise. The object of this phase of the invention being to position the ejected bobbins so that the remaining filling thereon may be drawn off over their tips, this chute is disposed slightly off-center when viewed from the front, toward the butt-end of the bobbin as it stands in the working shuttle, to favor the entry of the butt-end of a descending bobbin into the chute, rather than its tip. For the same reason, the side-wall 20 is given as steep a slope as possible, so as not to impede the descent of the bobbins butt-end, being continued to the very end of the chute, while the opposite side-wall 26 is brought in rather sharply, to intersect the chute well above the latters lower end, and present a surface against which the bobbins tip will strike as the bobbin descends in its usual horizontal relation, thus to delay the descent of the tip and turn the bobbin to enter the chute butt-end down. These arrangements are aided by the general tendency of the bobbin to fall with its heavier butt-end first when its travel is impeded by friction resulting from its incidental contacts with the various surfaces upon the lay and inside the receiver 8, as well as by the drag of its trailing end of filling extending back through the shutt1e-eye.

To help bring each ejected bobbin into upended position for stripping, the rear wall 21 of the chute is sloped at a considerable angle with respect to vertical, the lower portion of the front wall 28 is correspondingly sloped so that its upper portions overhang its lower edge, and the lower portion 24 of one side-wall is vertical, all with the object of bringing each bobbin in turn to rest against the rear wall 21 of the chute when the lower end of said chute is closed.

The bottom of the chute is closed by a door 25 which may be applied in any suitable or desired manner, herein by being attached-along its rearward edge to the rockshaft 2| referred to, which extends along the rear edge of the chute and is mounted in the bearing 22 that is combined with the lower end of the chute by screws 23, 23. This door is designed to be opened periodically, as will be explained later, to discharge from the chute each bobbin after it has been stripped, and is preferably disposed on a slant as shown, in order to cooperate with the butt-end of a bobbin to tip the bobbin toward the rear wall 21 of the chute.

A feature of the invention having important bearing upon the satisfactory operation of the device is the provision of ample room in crosssection within the chute portion of the receiver 8 to allow the bounding and gyrating expelled bobbin to come promptly to rest standing upon its butt upon the door 25 and with its axis intersecting that of the winding-off member I at right angles, which is the most advantageous relation for drawing off the remaining filling,

namely over its tip. To provide this ample amount of room, without permitting the bobbin to lie against the rear wall of the chute obliquely, with its tip pointing toward one end or the other of the member 24 instead of at its middle, one or more low partitions preferably V-shaped in section, are disposed in a vertical plane upon said rear wall It, which cooperates with the side walls to define areas of trough-like character upon the rear wall into which the expelled bobbin will settle and be held in the desired erect relation to the winding-off member 24. The unwinding pull on the upwardly-extending end may also serve to cause an obliquely-disposed bobbin to settle promptly into its trough. A plurality of troughs provides for ample room within the chute for the descending bobbin.

As a consequence of the novel mode of operation of the invention in presenting the expelled bobbins with their tip ends pointed to the winding-off means, the filling strips off freely and with little tension from the bobbins, and hence the end is engaged more quickly and certainly by the winding-off member because of its slack condition, insuring the prompt and certain withdrawal of the trailing end from the shuttle-eye. Further, the stripped filling does not wind and pack tightly upon the winding-off member, facilitating its removal therefrom when accumulated in quantity. In addition, as the bobbins are not rotated as hitherto in pulling off the filling therefrom, the resistance to unwinding arising from friction of a revolving bobbin against the surfaces upon which it rests does not occur, and breakage of the filling during stripping is obviated.

As is obvious, the construction described comprises means for catching an expelled bobbin and for supporting it in such manner that its remaining weft or filling may be drawn off in the line of its axis over its tip end, and means for engaging the trailing end of filling and for drawing upon said end continually until the entire length has been transferred from the ejected bobbin to the winding-off member. This stripping or winding-o1! process takes a material amount of time, not being accomplished instant ly, but being ordinarily completed in less time than a fresh bobbin, automatically introduced into the shuttle, would normally spend therein. Hence provision is made for retaining each bobbin in stripping position with the receiver 8 throughout the period in which its successor, occupies the working shuttle, and then emptying this stripped bobbin from the receiver, into a catcherbox 50 if desired, simultaneously with the ejection of the said successor from the shuttle, to make way for the stripping of this following bobbin. This is accomplished by connecting the door 25 with the filling-replenishing devices, to open said door to permit the stripped bobbin to fall from the chute, and speedily closing it in time to intercept the falling succeeding bobbin. Thus, the controller-rockshaft 34, which is rocked in a counter-clockwise direction to initiate filling-replenishment, is connected as described to rock the rockshaft 2|, so as to open the door 25 and drop out the stripped bobbin supported thereon during the counter-clockwise rocking aforesaid, and to close said door again during the reverse rocking movement. Preferably, means are provided to effect yielding actuation of the door 25 in its closing movement, so that no harm will follow if a b'obbin is caught between the door and the end of the chute; thus, the arm 35 pulls the nut on the front end of link 38 positively against the swivel-block 39 on the end of arm 36 to move it in a direction opening the door 25, but communicates reverse'movement to said arm 36 through the expanding spiral spring 31 confined between a cotter-pin 40 and the swivelblock 39 which is capable of free sliding movement along pin 38.

I The provision for unwinding the bobbins from over the tip ends thereof with resulting elimination of any substantial degree of tension and resulting breakage of the yarn during unwinding, coupled with the provision for discharging the stripped bobbin from the receiver before the next one is received therein, so that the succeeding one has the receiver all to itself, eliminates a common disadvantage in prior constructions, in which the broken weft or filling-end from a partly-stripped bobbin, or even the empty bobbin itself, sometimes became entangled with a succeeding bobbin while the latter revolved in stripping, resulting in one or more of the bobbins be ing carried up and lashed fast upon the windingoif member by subsequent lengths of filling wound thereon, with obvious disadvantages.

While only one form in which the invention may be embodied is illustrated and described herein, it is obvious that many modifications may be made therein by any person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to' the particular form shown, or to the details of construction thereof, but what is claimed as the invention is:

I claim:

1. In a weft-replenishing loom, the combination with replenishing mechanism, of a moving surface to engage a trailing weft-end, and means on the loom side-frame and apart from the lay engaging and bending the trailing weft-end around such surface, such means being moved relative to the loom side-frame into engagement with the weft-end through movement of the replenishing mechanism.

2. In a weft-replenishing loom, the combination with replenishing mechanism, of a moving surface to engage a trailing weft-end, and means actuated by the replenishing mechanism and supported by the loom side-frame apart from the lay engaging and bending the trailing weft end around such surface, whereby the end of yarn between the moving surface and the shuttle will be engaged with the moving surface and withdrawn from the shuttle-eye.

3. In a weft-replenishing loom, the combination with replenishing mechanism, of a rotating member to engage a trailing weft-end, and means for bending the trailing weft-end around the surface of the rotating member, such means being pivoted on the loom-side forward of the lay and brought into engagement with the weft-end through its movement derived from the replenishing mechanism. 1

4. In a weft-replenishing loom, the combination with replenishing mechanism, of a rotating member to engage a trailing weft-end, and a normally stationary member on the loom sideframe actuated by the replenishing mechanism and bending the trailing weft-end around the surface of the rotating member through engaging the weft-end between such surface and the lay.

5. In a weft-replenishing loom, the combination with replenishing mechanism of means for withdrawing the trailing weft-end from the shuttle comprising a rotating surface and a member on the loom side-frame and apart from the lay engaging and bending the trailing end around the moving surface and lengthening the path of the trailing end between the bobbin and the shuttle, the member being normally stationary and moved by the replenishing mechanism during the latters operation.

6. In a weft-replenishing loom, the combination with replenishing mechanism, of a rotating member to draw oil a trailing weft-end. and a member swinging about a fixed axis in front of the lay and lay-swords and parallel to that of the rotating member and acting during its swinging movement to engage the weft-end and bear the latter against the rotating member, such members permitting passage of the expelled bobbin between them in its descent.

7. In a weft-carrier-replenishing loom, the combination with replenishing mechanism discarding the spent weft-carrier, of a moving surface on the loom to engage and draw oil a trailing weft-end from a discarded weft-carrier, and means for automatically disposing and supporting the discarded weft-carrier during such drawing-off to prevent the weft-carrier from exerting suillcient tension on the trailing and extending therefrom to lift or roll the weft-carrier.

8. In a weft-carrier-replenishing loom, the combination with replenishing mechanism discarding the spent weft-carrier of a moving surface to engage and draw of! a trailing weft-end from a discarded weft-carrier, and means for automatically disposing and supporting the discarded weft-carrier during such drawing-off for delivery of the remaining weft thereon from over the tip thereof.

9. In a weft-replenishing loom having a lay and a shuttle-box, the combination with replenishing mechanism of means for drawing the trailing weft-end of the expelled spent weft-carrier away from the shuttle-box following replenishment, and a vibrating member operatively independent of the lay for bringing the trailing end into positive engagement with the drawing-away means, and moved by the replenishing mechanism into engagement with the trailing weft-end for this purpose after replenishment.

10. In a loom, the combination with means for automatically replenishing the working fillingsupply and discarding the nearly spent bobbin, of means intercepting the trailing end of filling from the discarded bobbin as the latter is expelled and for drawing off from the discarded bobbin the filling remaining thereon, and means for disposing and supporting the bobbin with its tip toward the drawing-oil means throughout the drawingoif of the filling.

11. In a loom, the combination with meansfor automatically replenishing the working fillingsupply, of means for drawing off from the dis-' carded bobbin the filling remaining thereon, and means to receive and support the discarded bobbin and present it to the drawing-off means with its axis substantially in the line of draft.

12. In a loom, the combination with means for automatically replenishing the working fillingsupply, of means for drawing off from the discarded bobbin the filling remaining thereon, and a receptacle adapted to receive the discarded bobbin in its fall and bring it to rest with its tip pointed toward the drawing-off means.

13. In a loom, the combination with means for automatically replenishing the working filling supply and discarding the nearly spent fillingcarrier, of means for intercepting the trailing end of filling from the discarded filling-carrier as the latter is expelled and drawing ofi from'the discarded filling-carrier the filling remaining thereon, and means automatically receiving and sup porting the filling-carrier in non-rotating relation during such drawing-off of the filling.

14. In a loom, the combination with means for automatically replenishing the working fillingsupply and discarding the nearly spent fillingcarrier, of means for drawing of! from the discarded filling-carrier the filling remaining thereon, means for supporting the filling-carrier to prevent its putting sufficient tension on the trailing end to lift or roll the filling-carrier or break the filling, and means adapted to engage the filling-end trailing behind the filling-carrier as discarded and bring it into engagement with the said drawing-off means.

15. In a loom, the combination with means for automatically replenishing the working fillingsupply and expelling the nearly spent filling-carrier with an end thereof trailing behind, of traveling means for drawing off the trailing old fillingend from the filling-carrier, and a member actuated by the replenishing means and having movement in the direction of travel of the drawing-off means so as to engage the trailing filling-end and push it into engagement with the drawing-o means.

16. In a loom, the combination with means for automatically replenishing the working fillingsupply, of means for drawing of! the trailing old filling-end extending from a discarded filling-carrier, and a normally stationary member moved by the replenishing means into spaced and parallel relation to said drawing-off means to permit the discarded filling-carrier to descend between it and the drawing-off means, and moving into a stationary resting position thereafter to bring the trailing filling-end into contact with said drawing-oi! means.

17. In a loom, the combination with means for automatically replenishing the working fillingsupply, of means for drawing off the trailing filling- (1 extending from a discarded filling-carrier, means to receive the discarded filling-carrier and present it to the drawing-01f means with its axis substantially in the line of draft, and means actuated through connections with the filling-replenishing means to bring the trailing filling end into engagement with the drawing-01f means.

18. In a loom, the combination with weft-replenishing mechanism and means for drawing off the trailing weft-end from a discarded weft-carrier, of a receiver for the discarded weft-carrier having a sloping wall and an inclined bottom coacting to dispose the weft-carrier with its tip in elevated relation.

19. In a weft-replenishing loom, in combination, a receiver for the expelled bobbins having a trap-door bottom and inclined walls so related thereto as to stand the expelled bobbin on its butt when resting on such trap-door bottom, devices for stripping the yarn from oif the tip of the bobbin without rotatingthe latter while in this position, a removable container, and means for periodically automatically opening the trap-door to drop the bobbins from the receiver into such container.

AVERY C. KIMBIRL.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,057,619. October 13, 19s

AVERY C. KIMBIRL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification oi the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 4, first column, line 60, claim 7, for "and" read end; and that the said Letters Pat should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 5th day of January, A. D. 1937.

Henry Van Arsdale Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

